“No, not a magic painting!” said Muchen, Yinuo’s artist husband, in a tone of great dismay. His eyes were wide with horror. “I don’t need more competition.”
“Cheer up! I have more work for you to do since I’ll be selling one hundred different prints of these.” I grinned at him. “They’ll have to be frad and properly packed for shipping.”
He put a hand on his heart and bowed. “Thank you, my lady.”
The rest of the staff ignored Muchen as they milled around the room gazing in open-mouthed wonder at the screenshots I had printed out using the System. Modern earth-style photography was unknown in this world, but magic paintings, made by a few human cultivator clan workshops, were not. They were extrely expensive, not just for their artistic value and novelty, but also because they were said to help in cultivation by focusing the environntal qi inside the room they were hung in.
The System did not use modern materials like plastic, so my screenshots were not actual photographs, but rather, photorealistic prints made with paint on high-quality linen canvas. The largest print, twenty feet wide and ten feet high, was a panoramic scene of the entire battlefield, showing the Demon Monarch and all the forces attacking him. The other paintings were half that size and showed more zood-in fight scenes of small groups of clan mbers or human cultivators. Opposite the largest painting was the screenshot of casting a spell. I had used [Hide Players] on that one, which ant I was alone and floating in the air instead of standing on the back of a Black Tortoise clan mber.
The clan elder could hardly believe her eyes. “The battlefield is so busy! How did you manage to draw all of the participants in such a detailed way?”
“It wasn’t . My bloodline inheritance did it for .” I cast my eyes down and tried to look more modest.
My apprentices were ecstatic.
“Teacher, you look so powerful and beautiful!” Mo stepped back to admire the full view of my solo screenshot.
“Like a queen,” added Lari.
“No, you an a princess.” Kharli pointed at the painting beside it. “I prefer this one because it has Teacher and the prince side by side.”
“I’ll give him a copy of that,” I said.
Mo turned to , a wide grin spreading across her face. “Teacher, may I have a copy to hang in my room, please?”
“Sure, why not?” I chuckled. “Copies for everyone!”
I placed a table and chair and spent a few minutes giving away copies. Back on Earth, an artist would sign their work, but here it was customary to stamp my works with my seal. Now that I was a duchess, I had a very official-looking jade seal with my chosen motto written on it in ancient calligraphy: Cultivate Virtue, Accumulate Blessings. I found it interesting which paintings they chose. Fengying picked the panoramic scene while Deming wanted the one that showed the stalwarts of the Azure Dragon clan charging at the demon with their spears held aloft. The maids mostly liked the ones with the warriors that they deed the most handso, while the male kitchen staff preferred the ones with the most beautiful female warriors.
When I finished distributing the System’s bounty, my apprentices and I escorted the clan elder out of the castle. I invited them to join us for the evening al, too, but she declined since she and her team wanted to plant the cuttings as soon as they could.
Once our guests had left, I took Cutie out for a walk and turned to my apprentices to say, “Okay, everyone, ti for the next phase.”
Cutie bounced behind us making “boing boing” sounds and occasionally letting out a rry “Chu! Chu!” whenever she found a pretty flower.
The field just outside the castle was full of grasses of different heights, many with seed heads or flowers of all shades, swaying in the breeze. A few young trees, which we had planted, were scattered here and there, providing much-needed shade.
“This really doesn’t look like a desert anymore,” said Mo to Kharli.
“Yes, but the wind is still dusty.” Kharli lifted her scarf from her neck and wiped her face with it.
“It’s definitely much nicer than before.” Now that we were alone, I was curious about sothing, which is why I walked beside Lari and gently nudged him with an elbow. “So… Did you invite Lady Diya to visit?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, it wouldn’t be appropriate. She only invited that one ti since I was nearby.”
“Why would it be inappropriate?”
“She didn’t send the invitation herself. Her grandmother did.”
“Oh! Do you want to send the invite then?” I was imnsely curious about the young lady of the Monkey clan.
He looked down at his feet. “No. I don’t think she liked .”
“Aw!” I put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
He sighed. “I’d prefer not to talk about it, please.”
“Okay.” I let him go and dropped the subject. Besides, Fengying had told that it was very likely that nothing would co of Lari’s budding romance since they were both minors. “Wait a minute, where’s your hat? You don’t want to get sunburned.”
“I have it.” Lari took out a conical farr’s hat from his inventory and put it on.
“Teacher, look at mine!”
We all laughed when Mo put on a fancy straw hat decorated with ribbons, silk flowers, and a mini Mr. Bear plushie.
“That is un-bear-ably cute!” I had to say that in English because the pun didn’t work in any of this world’s languages. They paid no mind since they were used to speaking in a foreign tongue now and then.
Mo took our hats off and switched them on our heads. “A Mr. Bear hat for you, my lady!”
We curtsied to each other.
“Thank you kindly, dear maiden.” I took the hat off and admired the work that had gone into it. “Good work, I love it!”
Mo bead with pride. “Kharli and I both made it. I did the ribbons and Kharli made the Mr. Bear figure.”
“Well done!” I put my arms around both of them and squeezed their shoulders.
We chatted while we walked, the three of them sweating profusely while I remained cool thanks to the boots from the [Advanced Environntal Support System Regulation Suit]. I made a ntal note to instruct everyone to stay inside during the hottest part of the day and only work outside during the early mornings and late afternoons. “It’s our first day, so I think we can take it easy and plant the bushes in the foothills nearest the castle. We’ll go higher up tomorrow. Shall we?”
They all nodded. Since I had already given them the supplies they needed, we went our separate ways but remained within sight of each other.
When we first started our [Greening the Desert] project, I used the System to dig contour swales, which were ditches dug along the hill’s natural curve. The berm was the raised mound of soil on the ditch's downhill side. Together, the swale and berm slow down rainwater runoff, letting it soak into the ground and preventing erosion.
We sowed the seeds one tile at a ti on the berms. They were widely spaced to allow them tons of room to grow and spread out naturally. Since these were perennial plants ant to stabilize the berm, rather than crops that would be harvested at the end of every season, they were all chosen based on whether or not they could thrive in this hot and dry climate.
The System recomnded eight of the hardiest, drought-resistant plants for us. They were all pretty much the sa, except for the [Scarlet Stoneberry].
If I rembered it right, and I was pretty sure that I did, the [Scarlet Stoneberry] had a long fruiting season and the berries could be given to cows to cure them when their milk was sour.
[Scarlet Stoneberry:
A fast-growing, hardy bush with aromatic, red berries that possess a slightly resinous flavor. Its dense, sprawling growth habit creates a natural windbreak, protecting other young plants from harsh desert gusts. Its berries, while sowhat strong in taste, are a vital source of energy for migrating wildlife and are also known to have dicinal properties.]
The System description for the other types of berry bushes emphasized their role in helping improve the environnt.
[Silver Sageberry:
A shrub with silvery leaves and delicate, pale blue flowers that yield small, sweet berries. The plant's fibrous root system binds the soil, preventing wind erosion and improving soil structure. Its fragrant leaves and flowers attract pollinators, enhancing the overall health of the local ecosystem. The berries are a valuable food source for birds and small mammals.]
I would have been tempted to plant only the [Scarlet Stoneberry] if this was a ga I was min-maxing, but this was my life and I wanted long-term gains rather than getting the most imdiate profit for my efforts.
Using my [Hoe], I tilled three squares of land and spread [Mysterious Goo] over them before planting the seeds. Then I carefully placed [Dendrological Cultivation Chambers], also called cultivation boxes, over each one.
The [Dendrological Cultivation Chamber] was vital to our efforts to reverse the desertification of Skyfang Hill. A cardboard box filled with water, it had a hole in the middle for the plant to grow, and a wick at the bottom to facilitate the gradual transfer of water to the soil via capillary action. It had a concave lid with holes in it to collect rainwater, too.
Nowadays, the temperature was not as extre as it used to be, and there were plenty of volunteer clan mbers who looked after the plants, but I still liked to use the [Dendrological Cultivation Chambers]. Covering the soil with the box protected it from the hot sun, and it gave peace of mind to know that the seedlings had plenty of water.
When that spot was done, I moved to a space ten feet above it.
I humd a lively little tune as I worked my way up the hill as I planted each seed with care. Cutie was still bouncing around and “Chu”-ing at every flower. There was sothing deeply satisfying about planting each tiny seed into the dark soil and imagining the plants that would eventually erge. The hill's gradual elevation offered a perfect vantage point to admire Blossom Valley below us, a sprawling carpet of grass and wildflowers swaying in the breeze. The loose, crumbly soil released its earthy perfu as I worked, blending with the woody fragrance of the young trees and the subtle grassy and flowery scents of the valley below.
The [Greening the Desert] quest only asked us for one hundred berry bushes, but, of course, we planted as many as we could until we were out of energy.
When we were finished, I set up a canopy from the Cash Shop and gathered my apprentices under its shade.
“I will now use the System to dig a large hole to collect rainwater…” I covered my mouth with a hand and leaned towards them to whisper, “But I will be cheating.”
Lari, Kharli, and Mo all recoiled in mock horror.
“Teacher, you cheater!” Kharli put a hand on her forehead and pretended to be on the verge of fainting from the shock.
I flicked her forehead. “Shush and listen to my foolproof plan.”
My apprentices did as I asked and shut up, but that didn’t stop them from rolling their eyes, shaking their heads, and muttering under their breaths.
“I think it will be fun! But first, I’ll dig the lake.” I pointed to the area north of us and ntally called up the System display. Navigating to the [Build] tab, I selected the [Empyrean Earth Transforr]. By putting the map in [Guide Mode], I was able to find the proper spot for the construction that would maximize the collection of rainwater.
A magic circle appeared in the sky above the chosen location, so large that it was visible from where we were standing. The System notification box showed how much ti was left until the lake was dug.
[Ti Left: 05 Days 23 Hours 59 Minutes]
That was way too long, therefore, I bought as many [Construct-O-Matic Turbochargers] from the Cash Shop as I could. This changed the duration of the [Empyrean Earth Transforr].
[Ti Left: 00 Days 23 Hours 59 Minutes]
“That’s it. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to abuse a cool bug to make a lake in the desert!” Then, seeing how excited they looked, I realized that I was building it up too much. “I an, it’s nothing, really… just a tiny little exploit that no one will even notice.”
And if we were very careful, it shouldn’t cause a catastrophe.
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